Sassco.co.uk 6 BunkerUK.com
3 Final
It was quite obvious after last week that Bunker were by far the
overwhelming favourites to win the CNSC Cup. They'd destroyed Hylton
Castle with some scintillating football in the Semi Final and were
confident having had the better of Sassco in the League game played
a few weeks ago. So, Sassco were facing a strong team. Charlie,
Tommy Bell, Jimmy Raeper, Swinhoe were all there along with Bri
Marley and Simma in goal. Paul McClusky also came in and Lewis -
who had a blinder against Hylton Castle was at the heart of the
defence.

But as with many things, the favoured
team sometimes struggle. Noting that Bunker only really had Brian
Marley as a defensive player, Sassco decided to defend heavily as
they did against Southwick in the Cup on Tuesday. The team they
put out was the same side they'd had most of the season, Gourlay,
Gash, Digga, McClusky, Yates, Middlemiss and Sangha. True to form,
they suffered an early onslaught. Kev McClusky was called on several
times, but couldn't do anything about the opening goal. It was 1-0,
but Sassco soon got back into it and eventually went ahead. Gash
scored a deflected strike and then Dave Gourlay put away a good
penalty. It was the crucial third before half time which put Sassco
in the driving seat. Mark Middlemiss, clear on goal "lashed" it through Simma in goal.

The second half, like the first, was played in shocking torrential
rain. It came down just before kick off and was relentless. It was
probably the cause of some slip ups from Simma. One came in the
second half to put Sassco 4-1 ahead. It was this time when Bunker
inevitably came back into it. They grabbed a penalty which Charlie
scored with ease and then Bri Marley scored a superb long range
effort. 4-3 and the pressure was definitely on. Just as Sassco were
looking to crumble, they got one back to make it 5-3. Dixon scored
it and essentially it was over. Finally, Yatesy struck the sixth
to bury the opponents and confirmed Sassco's name on the Cup. 6-3
was the final scoreline and a deserved one for Sassco. They defended
well and in numbers and took their chances. All the side, apart
from you-know-who scored. Gash scored two great goals after a stuttering
opening. Dave Gourlay scored and Mark Middlemiss hammered in the
best shot of the game. Sangha performed strongly in defence and
McClusky made some tremendous saves in slippery and miserable conditions
to see Sassco win their first trophy since 2001.

The glass trophy is now proudly sitting
in Kev McClusky's house (probably full of fruit or sweets) just
there as a cruel reminder to Paul.

This brings the Thursday competition
to a conclusion. Due to the popularity and enjoyment for all teams,
the next competition could be held within a couple of months time,
depending on pitch availability. We might just consider a set of
friendlies (with a referee) as it's probably fair that both Castle
and Sassco should keep the trophies for at least a year.

BunkerUK.com 8 Hylton Castle 4Semi Final
A truly remarkable performance from Bunker. After a poor League
which saw them face the ignominy of an Elimination game against
Downhill (which was won handsomely), they had to face Hylton Castle,
fresh from their Title success. Yet this performance was a drastic
change from the heavy defeat in the League (which they lost despite
leading). They drove at Hylton Castle from the start and gained
two goals. This time, the weather was more to their liking and also
they had an extra substitute. At 2-0, Hylton grabbed one back, but
Bunker still persisted. 3-1, then 3-2. 4-2, then 4-3. Eventually
they gained some breathing space. Goals from Raeper, Charlie, Bell,
Lewis and Defty saw it go to 6-3. The amazing encounter ended 8-4
and Bunker are now clear favourites to win the Cup.

* Bunker owe £1 for this game.

Sassco.co.uk 7 BarPure.co.uk
2Semi Final
Sassco, with Sangha in between the sticks, faced a depleted BarPure
side. They opened the scoring, but Mullen struck a superb equaliser.
Sassco then went 2-1 ahead and didn't really look back. The eventual
score was 7-2 and BarPure had Carl Middlemiss to thank for keeping
the score down.

Hylton
Castle 4 Sassco.co.uk 3
Another great conclusion to a thoroughly enjoyable tournament. Hylton
Castle were hot favourites to keep hold of the trophy, as Sassco
needed a victory.

It didn't happen, but amazingly, the game mirrored
the 2006 final game in that Hylton Castle stormed ahead. It seemed
there would be a high score and humiliation for Sassco, but at 3-0,
they made a comeback. Danny Hodgson kept both teams in it by firing
two goals for Castle (Gowey scored the other) and then conceding
a penalty. At this stage, it was 3-1. Gash Brazier had scored what
seemed to be a consolation goal, but then proceeded to hit the penalty
wide. Sassco paid for it when Coburn lashed in the fourth to make
it 4-1.

But then the comeback happened. Quite a few chances were
missed at both ends. Sangha, in defence and McClusky in goal for
Sassco both had exceptional games as being outnumbered, they still
stalled the attacks. Sangha managed to block the ball with several
body parts throughout the game. At the other end, Gash fired in
a goal and so did Yates. But the more obvious ones were missed as
Sassco ran out of steam.

Good performances from Dixon and Mark M,
but Hylton Castle deserved the win to take the Title. Coburn, Arny,
Dorwood and Gowey were a massive threat during the whole tournament,
whilst Danny Hodge and Pottsy held on strong at the back. Roll on
next year, but before that, Bunker in the cup.

BunkerUK.com 13 Downhill
FC 4Elimination Round
A genuine hammering. Downhill were in to replace Town End, but inexplicably
took on their form despite having some decent results in the Tuesday
League as well as good recent friendly performances. Bunker were
excellent. Charlie, Lewis, Bri, Paul McClusky and Swinhoe all looked
comfortable as they fired in goal after goal. The game being so
open saw Simma make some fine saves as Bunker face Hylton Castle
next week in the Cup Semi Final.

Hylton Castle 8 Town End
FC 3
A game which saw come back from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 ended in typical
fashion. Hylton Castle came back strongly and had dozens of chances
thwarted by the Town End goalkeeper. A penalty for Hylton Castle
saw one of the Town End players being dismissed. The end result
was an 8-3 win for Hylton Castle and a final showdown against Sassco
next week to decide the Title - just like last season.

Town End are suspended from Tuesday
and Thursday until payment of £23 plus £5 kit fine are
paid. All their cautioned players (3 in total) must pay their own
fines otherwise they will not be allowed to play until they have.

Hylton
Castle 9 BunkerUK.com 4
Bunker were 3-0 ahead against the favourites, but being an hour
game, it simply didn't last. Fitness took it's toll as Hylton Castle
came back strongly and secured an impressive win. For their most
important game, Bunker failed to have any additional players which
didn't help as the conditions were quite humid. Nevertheless, Hylton
Castle put out an exceptionally strong side and now have their penultimate
game against Town End before the decider against Sassco.

BarPure.co.uk 4 Town End
FC 1
Despite opening the scoring, Town End again suffered with lack of
numbers and naivety at the back. BarPure equalised in the second
half, but even after that, Town End came back strongly and nearly
scored an amazing deflected goal which spun off the inside of the
post. After this, BarPure finished Town End off with ease and a
4-1 scoreline. The win pushes BarPure into third which means that
Bunker now have to play off against Town End in the Cup Elimination
Game.

Thanks to Anth Mouat for stepping in
at the last minute to referee both games.

Sassco.co.uk
2 BunkerUK.com 2
BA great game played in sweltering conditions. Sassco had most of
the play, forcing Simma into some good saves, but it was a breakaway
late in the first which saw Mickey Donkin fire in a goal from the
edge of the box. Sassco looked nervous, but Dave Gourlay scored
an equaliser with a superb assist from Gaz Anderson. Yet again,
Bunker came back and went ahead again, when Tommy Bell steamed in
from the back to make it 2-1. It didn't last long. Keith Mouat,
who along with Anderson, replaced Dixon and Gash, scored a superb
goal to level it. Sassco had more chances, but Simma was on top
form. At the other end, Kev McClusky made some important stops to
prevent Bunker adding to their lead. Sassco's next game will be
against Hylton Castle and it looks like they'll have to go into
it looking for a win as a draw might not be enough now that a Hylton
Castle, far superior to the one last summer, have opened their account.

Hylton Castle 6 BarPure.co.uk
2
Chris McGowan, sorely missed in the important defeat on Tuesday,
came up against two Youth players in Brown and Dinning in Hylton
Castle's opener against BarPure. This time, he struck a hat-trick
as Hylton Castle strolled to a win. Dinning actually pulled of several
good saves, but BarPure looked nervous on the ball and failed to
make an impact. Their remaining game is against Town End, but with
two defeats, it's impossible for them to attain a higher placed
finish.

BunkerUK.com
7 Town End FC 3
Bunker were full-strength and performed superbly. They raced into
a lead, but were pegged back by Town End FC. Lewis scored a hat-trick
for Bunker as the eventual score ran into 7-3. Town End had two
men sent off for essentially swearing at the referee. Both are fined £5 each and miss Town End's next game.

Sassco.co.uk 7 BarPure.co.uk
1
A stunning performance from Sassco. They raced into a two goal lead
with goals from Dixon. Eventually it was 4-0, with Gash and Gourlay
getting on to the scoresheet. Second half saw Gash Brazier sent
off, but Sassco moved up a gear by defending heavily and leaving
Yatesy to finish the opponents off. It was 7-1 in the end. Ramshaw
struck BarPure's only goal late in the game, but Sassco remain at
the top, just as Hylton Castle will be making their bow next week
against the hapless Town End FC.

Sassco.co.uk
11 Town End FC 4
A high scoring opening game. Town End FC were slightly depleted,
but Sassco had a strong line up, albeit different from the regular
Tuesday team. In came McClusky in goal, along with Gash Brazier,
Dave Gourlay and Mark Middlemiss. Dixon, Yates and Sangha filled
the other berths. For Town End, they still had a 'keeper problem
and also lacked Nelson, and Garrett. Gourlay hit 6 for Sassco, while
Yates scored 4 and Gash Brazier steamed in with the all-important
single goal.

BarPure.co.uk 2 BunkerUK.com
1
BunkerUK.com were vastly depleted. Only Simma, Lewis and Raeper
were recognisable from the Tuesday team. BarPure were featuring
Mullen from Redhouse Youth's. An opening goal set BarPure on their
way. Bunker were surprisingly resilient and it was both 'keepers,
Carl Middlemiss for BarPure and Simma for Bunker who were the stars
of the show. However, Mark Eden and Callum Collins scored the crucial
goals for BarPure to set them away with an opening win. Hats off
to Bunker, though. Once the full team is back, they will surely
be up there challenging. Lewis
(Bunker) was cautioned during this game.

As last season, the games last 1 hour each
(30 minutes each way). It's still 6-a-side, but with roll-on and
roll off substitutes. There will be only a maximum of two games on per night depending on pitch availability. At the moment only one slot between 7pm and 8pm is available.
Each team will play each other team once and the winner in the four
team League will be crowned as Champions. Current Champions are
Hylton Castle.

A cup competition
might also be staged. Again, it will
be a one-hour game with penalties to decide the winners if required.
This will be immediately after the League. Southwell currently hold
the Cup.

Current cost per game
is £15 and there is no entrance fee required. Due to keeping
costs down, there are no individual awards.
The winning team will keep the trophies until the next season though.

Brief history on the Thursday competition. CNFL
Season 1 was a huge success. It was neck and neck between Sunderland
Select and InTune for most of the season. Yet Select, hardened from
their successes on the Tuesday League broke clear and eventually
won both competitions. CNFL Season 2 was abandoned not long after
starting as I personally didn't control it anymore due to other
commitments.

It was then revived under the CNSC name with a
good first season which saw SR-1 triumph in the League and Southwell
in the Cup. The second season suffered the Thursday curse as teams
dropped out - more down to the lack of organisation from the teams
rather than the competition. The Title had to be decided in a Play
Off which Southwell thrillingly came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1
against Wearview Elite in the dying seconds. There was obviously
no cup competition.

The third series was the strongest since the initial
CNFL competition. Southwell again triumphed with Sporting Redhouse
chasing them all the way. However, two teams still dropped out from
a total of 8. Crucially, both the teams which dropped out were newcomers.
The remaining six were modified Tuesday teams. This competition
didn't have a separate cup competition neither.

Season 4 was a drastic change. Played only as a summer competition, four teams from Tuesday were invited and the games were played as 1 hour games with one game played each week. Both Sassco.co.uk and Hylton Castle went head to head with both winning their games against Southview and Town End, before a final game thriller which saw Hylton Castle beat Sassco 4-3 to take the Title.